IMPACTS OF OHMIC HEATING ON DECORTICATED AND WHOLE PEARL MILLET GRAINS COMPARED TO OPEN-PAN COOKING
gluten-free cereals; color; texture; viscosity; quality
The effects of two cooking methods, emergent (ohmic heating - OH) and conventional (open-pan- CONV) on the quality attributes: cooking yield, texture profile analysis (TPA), color parameters, water absorption (WAI), solubility index (WSI) and pasting properties (RVA) of the pearl millet grains (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) were investigated. Samples of millet grains were pre-processing by mechanical decortication for 5 min to obtained degree of decortication of 9.1%. The optimum cooking time (OCT) of the whole and decorticated grains was determinate to be of 30 min and 20 min, respectively. The grains were cooking by OH and CONV method for pre-determined OCT with millet-water (ratio of 1:2). OH promoted a lower cooking yield than CONV. OH not promoted faster softening of the cooked grains as compared to that CONV. OH significantly affected the TPA and color of decorticated grains, resulting in greater L* than the CONV-Decorticated. OH not promoted significant difference in the WAI and WSI as compared to CONV method. Flours obtained of cooked pearl millet grains by both cooking methods, obtained low values viscosity. This research has shown that the main factor driving cooking was the presence of the grain pericarp rather than the type of heating method.